More water for Odessa

First new water released in 20 years

MOSES LAKE - Odessa may get some water to replace the stores in their declining aquifers.

The state Department of Ecology approved the release of 132,000 acre-feet of water from Lake Roosevelt. An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre with one foot of water, or about 325,850 gallons of water.

From the amount released, 30,000 acre-feet will go to the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District to serve up to 10,000 acres of farmland relying on the declining Odessa Aquifer.

The water will be released this year, but will be held in trust until 2009 when farmers can start using it. The infrastructure still needs to be built to take it out of canal. Mark Booker, the elected director of the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District, said infrastructure construction will take local, state and federal money to build, but most of it will likely be local.

"We're pretty sure it'll be cheaper than pumping it up from the well," said Bill McDonald, the federal Bureau of Reclamation's Pacific Northwest regional director.

This is the first new allocation of water from the lake in about 20 years, Jay Manning, the state's ecology director, said. He credits 2006 legislation which called for finding new water supplies, improving the amount of water during times of drought and increasing stream flows to help salmon.

Manning said it also wouldn't be possible without the willingness of the farmers, the tribes, local and county governments to work together.

"It doesn't have to be about 'I win and you lose,'" Manning said. "We're going to study and fund and pursue projects with dual benefits."

About 25,000 acre-feet of the water will go to future municipal and industrial supplies, which is enough to supply 75,000 new homes. From the remainder, 27,500 acre-feet will stay in the river and the rest will be used to supply areas where the water supply stops during drought years.

The allotment still has a 30-day appeal period, but Manning said he was confident they would manage to get the request through.

"There is a high likelihood that these will be appealed," Manning said. "We're going to win. We're going to prevail."